


Glad You Came

by clevernotbrilliant (clairevergreen)



Category: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Genre: Bursuso Fluff, Community: HPFT, F/F, First Kiss, Hogwarts AU, Secret Crush, Yule Ball, i wrote this in one sitting at 3 in the morning, who even knows if its any good lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 00:30:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12287421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clairevergreen/pseuds/clevernotbrilliant
Summary: “It’s a stupid, archaic practice to make girls feel like shit about themselves cause horny teenage guys don’t want to dance with them."“It’s a school dance, Leah, maybe just chill with the feminist rhetoric, yeah?”A SimonVS Hogwarts AU





	Glad You Came

When Professor Wise had announced that Hogwarts would once again be hosting the infamous Yule Ball, Leah Burke was in the very small minority of students fourth year and up that were of the opinion plucking their eyeballs with spoons out would be a better way to spend their time.

“It’s a stupid, archaic practice to make girls feel like shit about themselves cause horny teenage guys don’t want to dance with them,” Leah grumbled as she sat in the stands of the Quidditch arena, bundled up in almost all of the winter gear she had brought with her.

“It’s a school dance, Leah, maybe just chill with the feminist rhetoric, yeah?” Simon said, not taking his eyes off the Quidditch pitch.

She frowned, but it was obscured by the thick green and silver scarf that had taken over the entire bottom half of her face. She kicked at the side of Simon’s seat. “Just cause your Quidditch star boyfriend apparently loves a crowded room full of sweaty and desperate teenagers who can’t dance--”

“Okay, it is not that bad,” Simon deflected, finally looking away from where Bram was hovering near the goalposts with the rest of the Ravenclaw team. 

“Simon, two years ago you said that it was a waste of time and we sat at the Astronomy Tower eating chocolate cake with Nick,” Leah said, ducking farther down into her scarf as a gust of wind blew past them.

Simon waved his hand in dismissal and Leah rolled her eyes. It wasn’t that she really hated the idea of dances themselves, more the fact that she would have to get dressed up and parade around in front of people she was more than a little uncomfortable in front of, more specifically, the entire population of Hogwarts that was not Nick or Simon.

“Hey, sorry, I’m late,” Abby said as she barreled down the stands to where Leah and Simon were sitting. She all but fell into the seat next to Leah, brushing her hair out of her face. 

Even under all the scarves, Leah could feel a flush start to rise up her neck and she tried to subtly shift so there was space between her and Abby. “It’s fine,” she said, immediately switching into defense mode like she did anytime Abby. “Simon was too busy admiring Bram’s Quidditch arms to notice.”

“More like Leah was too busy calling out the rampant sexism present in modern day school dances for anyone to focus on anything else,” Simon said, not missing a beat. Leah kicked him again.

“You aren’t going to the Yule Ball?” Abby asked, drawing Leah’s attention. She picked a stray curl that had gotten stuck on her lips and suddenly Leah lost the ability to talk.

Thankfully, Simon hadn’t. “She thinks it’s stupid and pointless,” he said, his eyes never leaving the pitch.

“No, it’s so much fun,” Abby said earnestly, for once missing the near constant sarcasm coming out of Simon’s mouth. “Didn’t you guys go back in fourth year?”

Leah waited for Simon to answer, but he was very obviously distracted as Bram flew by with the other Chasers, nearly skimming the stands as they practiced their play. Leah cleared her throat and shifted in her seat again. “No, we, uh, we skipped it,” she managed to get out, mentally kicking herself as she faltered at the beginning. “Nick, Simon, and I hung out at the Astronomy Tower instead.”

A grin started to spread on Abby’s face and Leah instantly knew that she had made everything so much worse. “Oh, then you’re definitely going,” she said, putting her hand on Leah’s shoulder. “It’s decided. We’ll pick out dress robes at the next Hogsmeade weekend.”

_ I’d rather sit through double Transfiguration every Monday for a month,  _ Leah thought, but all she did was nod mutely in response. Abby grinned and started going on and on about how much fun it was going to be and how they should totally do a color coordinated House theme since they had someone from each House in their group. Leah tried to keep up and nod at the right times, but she was more than a little distracted by the way Abby’s entire face lit up as she argued with Simon about what actually occurred at a school dance and what was just made up in the Muggle movies. 

If she was being honest, her reluctance to go to the Yule Ball had everything to do with her feelings for the girl sitting next to her. 

 

***

 

Truth be told, the dance was not as mind numbingly painful as Leah had anticipated, but if anyone had asked, she would deny that to her dying breath.

The Great Hall had been transformed for the night. The House tables had been replaced with dozens and dozens of four person tables all pushed towards the edges to make room for a makeshift dance floor. Simon and Bram had long since disappeared into the crowd. Garrett and Nick had gone off with Abby and a couple of girls from the Quidditch teams, leaving Leah sitting at a table with Morgan and Anna.

“Earth to Leah,” Anna said, snapping Leah out of her thoughts. She looked down at her hands and quickly dropped the fraying table cloth she had been picking at while she had been zoned out. “What is with you tonight?”

“You’ve been all weird since we met up with Abby and them,” Morgan added.

“I’m fine,” Leah said, still looking distractedly at the dance floor. “Just not my idea of a good time.”

“Mhm,” Anna said, but she didn’t push. “We’re going to get a drink, do you want anything?”

Leah shook her head and the two of them got up, making their way to the back of the Hall. As soon as they left, she went back to staring at the dance floor. She fidgeted with her fingers as she scanned the group, like she would suddenly develop x-ray vision and be able to find the only reason that she had even come to the ball at all.

Suddenly, there was movement in front of her, causing her to jump as she looked up. “You seriously haven’t moved since we left?” Abby said, hands on her hips and slightly out of breath from the dancing. Leah shrugged in response, staring down at her hands as she picked at the silver nail polish Abby insisted she wear. “Leah, we’re at a ball,” Abby said in exasperation. “You know, where people go to dance?”

Leah tilted her head to the side as she looked up, every smart remark that she was going to say flying out of her head. Abby had indeed stuck with her plan of House pride and even after dancing for an hour straight, her dark red dress still looked just as stunning as it had when she first walked down the steps to the entrance hall. The golden locket she was wearing had shifted off to the side and Leah resisted the urge to reach forward and straighten it.

After a moment, she remembered she was supposed to be responding to Abby. “Dancing really isn’t my thing,” she started, already knowing how Abby was going to respond. True to form, Abby rolled her eyes and took a step forward, reaching out for Leah’s hands. “Abby, no, I’m serious.”

“Oh, come on, one dance,” Abby said, already grabbing Leah’s hand. She continued to protest feebly as Abby dragged her into the mass of sweaty bodies at the center of the Hall. The music was so loud she could feel it in her bones. People were knocking against her as they tried to dance, but Abby still had a hold of her hands. She pulled her close as someone almost stumbled backwards into her and Leah could see every hair that had escaped Abbi’s meticulously planned braids that wrapped around her head. 

“Would you relax?” Abby said, leaning in close so she could be heard over the music. Leah was positive that her face must’ve been as crimson as Abby’s dress. Her heart was pounding louder than the music and when Abby threaded their fingers together, she was positive that she was going to spontaneously combust right there in the middle of the Great Hall. “Follow my lead,” she said, pulling Leah even closer. 

The blood rushing in her ears made it impossible for her to tell what song was playing. As Abby started leading her through everything, it was like she had tunnel vision. Everyone seemed to fade away until it was just her and the beautiful girl in red dress dancing in front of her. Every now and then, Abby would look up and grin at her, sending her heart racing each time. Leah wanted nothing more than to live in that moment for the rest of her life. She was positive if she had needed to cast a Patronus at that exact moment, it would have been strong enough to blind the entire room.

All too soon, the music faded out, picking back up into something slower and softer. It snapped Leah out of whatever trance she had been in and she immediately pulled back as everyone started pairing off with their dates. She could see Bram and Simon over Abby’s shoulder, Simon’s head rested against Bram’s shoulder. 

Before she took more than two steps, Abby pulled her back. “You know, it’s rude to leave after one song,” she said, moving her hands to Leah’s waist. For a moment, it was like Leah’s brain short circuited as something that felt like electricity shot through where Abby’s hands were. Abby raised her eyebrow and Leah quickly put her hands on her shoulders, looking anywhere but at Abby. 

With the tempo of the song slowed, Leah felt more jumpy than she had with the last song. She kept adjusting and readjusting her arms on Abby’s shoulders, moving her wrists around as she tried to get them comfortable. Her head looked like she was following a tennis match as she looked back and forth and up and down, trying to keep her eyes anywhere but the face in front of her. 

“Are you okay?” Abby asked after a minute, forcing Leah to finally look at her. 

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” she said, her voice breaking ever so slight on the first word. 

Abby gave her a small smile and dropped her hands, taking a step back. Leah froze, panicking that Abby had somehow put everything together, but all she did was take Leah’s hand once again. “Come on,” she said gently, starting to lead her out of the crowd. Leah followed her blindly, her head still spinning from everything. Abby could have lead her straight into the Black Lake to have the giant squid drown her and she wouldn’t have put up a fight. 

Abby didn’t stop at the edge of the crowd, but continued through the doors of the Great Hall towards the front of the castle. They passed a few couples along the way, having to move out of the way as Caleb Price and some other seventh year came back from outside. 

The cold hit Leah like a wall after being in the overheated Hall so long. She shivered slightly, involuntarily gripping Abby’s hand tighter. “We can go back in if you want,” Abby said, stopping just at the bottom of the stairs. Leah shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Abby smiled again and led Leah just around the corner to a ledge a few feet off the ground. She sat down, pulling Leah down beside her. Leah slowly sat, keeping enough distance between them so nothing but the fabric of their robes were touching. Abby didn’t seem to care as she scooted closer so they were pressed against each other, not letting go of her hand.

“See, I told you it would be fun,” Abby teased, putting her other hand against Leah’s arm.

“It was...something,” Leah managed to get out, staring down at their hands in her lap. In the darkness, her pale skin stood out against the black of her dress, goosebumps starting to appear. She couldn’t tell if it was because the cold or Abby and at that point, she didn’t care.

“You had a little fun,” Abby shot back, nudging her with her shoulder. Leah tried to keep the smile off her face, but Abby’s enthusiasm was contagious. Abby noticed, grinning herself “Aww, come on, say it. Leah Burke, cynic extraordinaire, actually had fun at a school wide social event.”

Leah tilted her head back, shaking stray pieces of hair out of her face. “Okay, okay,” she said. “I may have not totally hated everything about tonight.”

Abby laughed. “I’ll take it.” They fell silent, the muffled sounds of the Ball the only sound. After a moment, Abby sighed and rested her head against Leah’s shoulder, her hair tickling her neck. Leah hesitated for a moment before closing her eyes and putting her cheek against the top of Abby’s head. The whirlwind of emotions from earlier had calmed down. Somehow, Abby’s hair still smelled like French toast and sitting there in the cold night air with her head on her shoulder, Leah couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in that moment.

“I’m really glad you came tonight,” Abby said quietly, her voice muffled against Leah’s shoulder. 

She turned her head into her Leah’s neck for a second before pulling away to look at her. This time, Leah didn’t look away, staring into her hazel eyes. “Yeah,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Me too.” 

It all happened in a split second, Leah wasn’t sure which of them started it. Abby’s hand found its way to the side of her face and Leah’s made it to Abby’s side as their lips met. Explosions went off in Leah’s mind as they moved even closer together. Her hand trailed up Abby’s side and stopped at her neck, her fingers brushing the bobby pins still keeping her hair in place. 

The kiss deepened as Abby dropped her hand and moved it to the other side of her face, pulling her even closer. Leah put her hand on Abby’s hip, her fingers tangling in the fabric of her dress. Somehow, even Abby’s lips tasted like French toast and once again, it was like everything fell away but the two of them. Kissing Abby was better than anything she had ever felt before and she clung onto her, never wanting the feeling to end.

The sound of footsteps caused them to break apart. Leah glanced behind her, but whoever had come out seemed to have headed a different direction. She turned back to Abby and saw the flush in her cheeks. Neither of them moved, still inches away from each other. Abby leaned forward and rested her forehead against Leah’s. “Now I’m really glad you came,” she said, chuckling as she finished.

Leah smiled and put her hand on Abby’s cheek. “Yeah,” she said. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for cat!'s The Hogwarts AU Challenge at the hpfanfictalk.com


End file.
